Among the hot political topics of 2022 has been the feud between former Republican allies Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The tension has generated national headlines, as Trump and DeSantis are considered frontrunners for the Republican presidential nomination for 2024.

The COVID-19 booster shot has mostly been the source of the feud. In an interview with Fox Business in December, DeSantis was evasive when asked if he had received a booster shot. DeSantis' staff later cited that the issue was a private medical matter.

The appearance, and DeSantis' unwillingness to answer whether he has been boosted, has rankled Trump, who is boosted. Trump has called politicians who won't disclose their vaccine status as "gutless."

"I watched a couple politicians be interviewed and one of the questions was, 'Did you get a booster?' Because they had the vaccine and they're answering like ... in other words, the answer is 'yes.' But they don't want to say it, because they're gutless," Trump told far-right cable channel One America News last week.

Trump has also called DeSantis “dull” and lacking “personal charisma.”

DeSantis has criticized Trump’s early handling of the pandemic and regrets not pushing back against Trump’s advice for Americans to stay at home. DeSantis also blamed Dr. Anthony Fauci for the advice he gave Trump on his response to the pandemic.

“I was probably the first governor in January of 2020 to call for travel restrictions from China. I supported President Trump when he did that. But we have to take a step back and acknowledge that those travel restrictions just didn't work,” DeSantis said in an interview with the conservative podcast “Ruthless.”

Vaccines and COVID guidelines have been a major issue in Florida due to the state's large elderly population. In early January, Florida saw a 948% rise in COVID cases in just two weeks.

Trump has a history of attacking members of his own party. He has often used the term "RINO," which stands for "Republicans in name only."

In attacking DeSantis, Trump has attacked a former ally and also a potential opponent in 2024. Trump has also taken credit for DeSantis' rise in popularity among Republican voters, yet quickly dismissed him as a threat to his own political ambitions.

"I'd beat him like I would beat everyone else," Trump told Yahoo Finance in October.

Trump and DeSantis could be in for a fierce battle in Florida, a state with 30 electoral votes and considered pivotal for Republicans. It has become more of a red state in recent elections.

Trump, who lives in Florida, edged Hillary Clinton in 2016 by a 49.02%-47.82% margin. In 2020, Trump held off Joe Biden by a wider margin, 51.22% to 47.86%.

DeSantis won the 2018 gubernatorial election by just 32,463 votes.

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